Learning to Work With a Subject Matter Expert (SME)


Summary:
  • The design and development of a successful website requires a team (TWO or more) with a diverse range of skills and talents to successfully complete all aspects of the project.
  • Unfortunately a "communication bottleneck" often exists between the content expert (SME) and design and development staff in terms of translating the content into a form that embodies sound design.
  • This "bottleneck" often takes the form of false assumptions... the designer "assumes" the SME understands the development process and the SME "assumes" the developer has a knowledge of the content.
  • It is not possible for the designer to be conversant in ALL content areas, just as the SME should NOT be expected to be knowledgeable about the technology.
  • With an effective strategy for content/development interaction, valuable time will be saved and ultimately a better, more cohesive, product will be realized.
  1. Objectives:
    1. Identify the roles and responsibilities of the Interactive Designer (ID) and SME in the design and development process
    2. Determine the philosophical assumptions of the SME which may affect the ID-SME interaction
    3. Recognise the importance of the ID-SME interaction which determines the success of the project
  2. Design and Development Environment
    1. Outline the context and the processes involved in the development of online projects to the SME and assist the SME to understand their role in the team-based process.
    2. Needs assessment
  3. Content Production Process - Model and Background
    1. This section examines key concepts in relation to the field of instructional design and the role of the instructional designer. It also examines the CPP which assists the designer in working in unfamiliar content areas with subject matter experts. The following concepts are explored:
    2. Nature of Instructional design
    3. Role of Instructional designers
    4. Completing instructional design in unfamiliar content areas
    5. Strategies for conceptualising unfamiliar content
    6. Role of the subject matter expert
    7. The CPP model and instructional designers
    8. The CPP model is examined as a process for establishing a collaborative relationship with SMEs
      http://www.medfac.unimelb.edu.au/staff/mkeppell/sme/protected/frame_content.htm
  4. Content Production Process - This section examines the process of using the CPP with SMEs. It examines:
    1. Philosophical assumptions of SMEs
    2. SME Characteristics in university, business and military settings
    3. Defining roles and responsibilities in the instructional designer–subject matter expert interaction
    4. Principles of communication with the SME – Top-down and bottom-up cognitive processing in conceptualising unfamiliar content
    5. Constructing knowledge maps/concept maps/graphic organisers
    6. Using questions to assist the construction of the map
    7. Using knowledge maps to assist the designer's conceptualisation of expert knowledge
    8. Using knowledge maps to represent the expert's knowledge
    9. Using knowledge maps to assist communication with the expert
    10. Teachback Interviewing and questioning strategies
      http://www.medfac.unimelb.edu.au/staff/mkeppell/sme/protected/frame_content.htm
  5. Summary - General Principles in Working with SMEs
    1. Determine the Philosophical Assumptions of the SME
    2. Adapt the Interview Format to the SME
    3. Develop Generic Questions to Utilise in the Interview
    4. Use Mapping Strategies to Reorganise the Content
    5. Use the Map as a Communication Prop
    6. Transform the Knowledge Map into a Storyboard
  • Presenter: Dr. Mike Keppell
    Head, Centre for Integrating Technology in Education
    Hong Kong Institute of Education
    Email: keppell@ied.edu.hk
    Mike Keppell WebSite
    Mike has over ten years experience in collaborating with subject matter experts/content experts in the design and development of multimedia projects.